ARTIST NEWS

Rosanne Cash to be Inducted into Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Rosanne Cash, Mark James, Even Stevens and Craig Wiseman will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in October, according to an announcement made today by Pat Alger, chair of the organization’s board of directors.

The four new inductees will join the 196 existing members of the elite organization when they are officially inducted during the 45th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Sunday, October 11, at the Music City Center.

“Nashville remains the primary destination for anyone with an appreciation of songwriters and the art of songwriting,” said Alger. “Since 1970, the legacy of those great songwriters has been celebrated and preserved by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Each year only a few are elected to this high honor, and this year we are proud to welcome the class of 2015: Mark James and Craig Wiseman in the songwriter category; Even Stevens in the veteran songwriter category and Rosanne Cash as our songwriter/artist.”

Mark James’ songwriter credits include “Hooked On A Feeling” (B.J. Thomas, Blue Swede), “Suspicious Minds” (Elvis Presley) and “Always On My Mind” (Willie Nelson). Craig Wiseman’s resume is known for “Live Like You Were Dying” (Tim McGraw), “Believe” (Brooks & Dunn) and “The Good Stuff” (Kenny Chesney). Even Stevens is the tunesmith behind “Suspicions” and “Drivin’ My Life Away” (Eddie Rabbitt) and “Crazy In Love” (Conway Twitty). Rosanne Cash popularized many of her own compositions, including “Seven Year Ache,” “Blue Moon With Heartache” and “Hold On.”

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala is one of the music industry’s premier events of the year. The evening features tributes and performances of the inductees’ songs by special guest artists. In recent years artists such as Garth Brooks, Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Marty Stuart, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner and Trisha Yearwood have performed at or participated in the event. Fellow songwriters’ organization the Nashville Songwriters Association International also participates in the evening by presenting its annual awards for the year’s Best Song, Songwriter and Songwriter/Artist, as well as the Top 10 “Songs I Wish I Had Written” as determined by their professional songwriters division.